


Accept Surrender

by Synekdokee



Category: X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Erik is emotionally constipated, Fix-It, Fluff, M/M, Mostly Fluff, Post Cuba, Shower Sex, a bit of angst, comes with art
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-08
Updated: 2013-12-08
Packaged: 2018-01-04 00:02:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1074615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Synekdokee/pseuds/Synekdokee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two decisions made, before and after.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. If You Walk Out On Me

**Author's Note:**

  * For [](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts).



> With lots of love to Harenai, from your loving Secret Mutant. I hope you like it <3

It took some time for Erik to get used to life in the manor. It had the kind of casual abundance that made him uneasy. The children had all been excited, thrown themselves into hunting down the best bedrooms and oohing and aahing over the stocked pantries, like none of them had eaten properly in their lives.

 

Erik didn’t seem to be the only one who wasn’t entirely at ease in the large house. There was a new tension between Charles and Raven, and Charles himself seemed to fluctuate between pride at how taken the children were with their new accommodations, and a strange gloom that occasionally bled over to Erik.

 

 

Erik didn’t pry. He had never been one to invest himself in other people’s private business, and besides, despite his openness and joviality, there was a shuttered side to Charles.

 

So they kept to themselves, occasionally meeting in the library for a game of chess, or Erik bothering Charles for debates in his study.

 

The tentative interactions they’d started while travelling across America had faded, and Erik found himself missing them. What was more, he realised he didn’t really mind missing it, the intimacy between them and the easy way Charles had fit into the hollowed nooks in Erik’s life. Until he’d been dragged out of the sea in Miami, he’d been so content to dedicate his life to solitude and revenge. Something about Charles had changed that, had made him miss things he hadn’t thought he could have anymore.

He made up his mind one evening after Charles had retired to his own rooms. Erik sat in the library, toying with the metal-decorated chess pieces, thoughts on the way Charles’s hand had lingered on him as he bade Erik goodnight. He thought about the redness of Charles’s mouth, the freckles speckled all over his compact body, the way his hair fanned out when he lay beneath Erik, thighs spread and skin flushed. He smiled ruefully at himself, trying to ignore the pleasant curl of heat in his belly.

 _Why ignore it,_ came the familiar voice in his head. Erik jerked, irritation sparking, but Charles soothed him, tone playful.

_I’ve been waiting for you to apply some initiative._

An impression in Erik’s thought, of Charles in the shower, warm and loose and relaxed. Waiting.

With a growl, Erik set the chess pieces down and headed upstairs, taking the steps in large leaps. He wasn’t entirely sure if he wanted to give Charles a piece of his mind for refusing to  _stay out of his head_ , or, or…

His mind was made up for him when he burst into Charles’s room and the joined bathroom, and he caught a glimpse of Charles, naked under the spray of water.

Swallowing tightly, Erik entered the bathroom, leaning against the open doorjamb, watching. Charles’s back was to him, that wide, muscled expanse shiny with wetness. He turned his head to grin at Erik over his shoulder, hair slicked back and eyelashes clinging together with droplets of water. His mouth looked even more obscene, wet and inviting.

Erik realised Charles was playing it up, a grown man mimicking cover girls, but it didn’t seem to affect the appeal. Erik let his eyes trail down, along the curve of Charles’s spine to the dip of his back and the swell of his ass, round and lush, and down to his thick, muscled thighs.

Finally Charles sighed and abandoned the coy look, turning around to face Erik, expression frustrated.

“Are you going to join me or not,” he asked, face set in a frown, mouth tilting down.

Erik swallowed, gaze caught between Charles’s thighs, on his soft cock nestled against his balls in a thatch of wiry curls.

Nodding mutely, Erik started stripping, fumbling a little as he kept devouring Charles with his eyes. The familiar want was back, a need he hadn’t felt in a long time, his body clamouring to touch. He already knew how Charles would feel like, his smooth skin and firm muscles and the softness along his midsection, but it didn’t lessen Erik’s hunger one bit.

Already half-hard, Erik slipped into the shower, avoiding the soft smile on Charles’s face. Charles had a way of making him feel vulnerable, open in a way Erik wasn’t used to, and it felt dangerous.

Instead, he slid his hands around Charles’s thick waist, tugging him close as he bent his head down to press a kiss to the curve of Charles’s neck, tongue gliding over the wet skin. Charles gave a soft sigh, hands coming to rest on Erik’s biceps.

Charles leaned back slightly, taking Erik’s face in his hands and grinning, before tugging him down for a kiss. Erik moaned softly as Charles’s lips pressed against his, so full and soft and sweet, Charles’s tongue slipping inside Erik’s mouth, slick against his own.

The water ran over them, wetting Erik and warming him. He felt Charles’s cock stir against his thigh and slid one hand down along Charles’s flank, to the curve of his ass, pulling him close.

The hiss of the shower drowned out the muted sounds they made, but Charles’s moan when Erik pushed his thigh firmly against Charles’s cock was perfectly clear, echoing in the bathroom. Growling, Erik pushed Charles backwards, savouring the gasp Charles made as his back hit the cool tiles.

They kissed, Erik starving for Charles’s taste, panting hard, cock trapped between their bellies.

“I’ve missed this,” Charles said quietly as he pulled back, hand trailing down Erik’s chest to curl his fingers loosely around Erik’s cock.

Erik hummed, hips jerking towards Charles’s grasp, hungry for friction. Charles huffed out a laugh and adjusted his grip, wrapping his hand around Erik and pumping him firmly a few times, drawing out a groan from him. Erik could feel the amusement pouring off of him in waves.

“I’m glad someone’s amused,” he gritted his teeth, but the kiss he pressed to Charles’s freckled shoulder was gentle.

Charles laughed again, one hand stroking across Erik’s cheek, up to his forehead, and then to push his wet hair back. Charles studied his face, and Erik’s cock twitched at the flare of heat he saw in Charles’s eyes.

“So handsome,” Charles murmured, blue eyes intent on Erik.

Erik quirked him a smile, squeezing his ass lightly, earning him a squeak.

“Why don’t you show me your appreciation in a more… tangible ways,” Erik said, curling his hand around Charles and stroking firmly.

There was a sharp spark of pleasure from Charles, egging Erik on, mind unfurling for Charles, allowing Charles in willingly.

A wave of gratitude, relief and trust flowed through him from Charles, and Erik tugged him closer, burying his face in Charles’s neck, mouthing at him, nipping at his skin gently. He moved his hand, twisting it until he had both himself and Charles in his grasp. The moan spilling out from Charles’s lips was reward in itself, and Erik stroked them with steady movements, drinking in the sounds Charles was making.

Erik could feel Charles’s arousal winding with his own, knew they wouldn’t last long, both of them frustrated over not having touched since they arrived in Westchester.  He sealed his mouth over Charles’s, kissing him hard as he tugged their cocks, the water sluicing down to slick his grip.

Charles was jerking his hips lightly, desperate twitches as he drove himself into Erik’s fist, pressed flush against him. He drew away from the kiss and Erik felt a jolt in his chest as he looked at Charles, his mouth swollen and blue eyes lust-glazed. Erik braced himself against the tiled wall, forearm resting next to Charles’s head as he caged Charles against the wall. He nuzzled at the tender skin behind Charles’s ear and then trailed kisses down his neck, biting down into the fleshy meat of his shoulder. Charles cried out, hips bucking, and Erik brushed his thumb across the head of Charles’s cock, stroking him quickly.

“Erik,” Charles groaned, clinging to Erik’s shoulders, blunt fingers scrabbling for purchase on wet skin. Erik could feel Charles’s desperation, all the pleasure and heat he was projecting. They were both so close, every sensation webbing together. Charles curled his hand around Erik’s and guided him, setting a fast pace, his breath coming in hot pants over Erik’s skin.

It didn’t take long, not with the way Charles had them connected through their thoughts and Charles’s hand firm over his. With a grunt he came, spilling over their fingers, body going tight. Charles gasped, eyes slipping closed, and Erik felt the pulse of his pleasure mingle with his own aftershocks, felt Charles’s hips jerk and then the warmth of his release on his skin.

Panting, Erik rested his forehead on the tiles, chest heaving against Charles, hands on his fleshy hips, stroking his thumb over the wet skin. Charles hummed softly, content and relaxed, fingers playing with the hair at the nape of Erik’s neck.

They were content to stay like that, the water washing away whatever remained of their orgasms, simply enjoying each other’s proximity. Finally Charles sighed and pushed Erik away a little, kissing the corner of his mouth.

“Time for bed?” he smiled, turning off the shower and offering Erik a towel.

“You want me to sleep here,” Erik asked, raising an eyebrow. It had been one thing in shared motel rooms, but sharing a bed now was… Erik didn’t know why it was different, but it was something he hadn’t dared to hope was even on the table.

“I do,” Charles said. “But you don’t have to, if you’d rather not…”

Erik shook his head. “No I… I’d like that,” he said, stumbling over his words, feeling clumsy all of a sudden.

Charles smiled, that infuriatingly soothing curve of his red lips, and wandered into the bedroom. Erik stayed in the bathroom, staring himself in the mirror and wondering how easy it was to forget everything you’d tried so hard to make yourself believe.

When he entered the bedroom, Charles was already under the covers, his wide shoulders bare and pale against the sheets. Erik crawled in next to him, slipping beneath the duvet and curving his body towards Charles. Charles hummed, shuffling a little closer until they were brushing, Charles’s skin warm against his.

There was a tentative brush against his mind, and with a sigh Erik let down his guards again, allowing Charles to curl his thoughts around his, his drowsiness dragging Erik with him.

Erik rested his palm on Charles’s belly, half-conscious and languid. He thought about doing this every night, forming a familiarity in this bed. If the house didn’t feel like a home, Charles did, and the thought wasn’t followed by the jolt of fear Erik was used to.

His mind was busy forging a future, all without his permission, and Erik slipped into sleep, content and peaceful.

 


	2. I'm Walking After You

A few days after New Year, the manor was quiet, some of the children having gone home for the holidays. Hank and Alex had stayed, as had some of the newer recruits. Those who had stayed were in a post-holiday mellowness, trying to cope with the barrage of food and sweets they’d consumed over the past few weeks.

Charles was going over the accounts, poring over the Xavier fortune and the financial advisors’ files, trying to work out the finances for starting a school. It involved more bureaucracy than even he had prepared himself for, but it had proved a good distraction over the past year, after he’d started physiotherapy. There was an apathy lurking inside him, ready to pounce if he didn’t keep his mind occupied, if he let himself think about the people he’d lost.

He felt his mind begin to drift, towards Erik, and Raven. Wondering where they were and if they’d had a nice New Year, a strange surge of jealousy coursing through him as he thought about Raven spending the holidays with someone who wasn’t her  _brother_. It would be the second time, now, but last time Charles had been too broken to mourn the lost traditions, too lost in his grief to see outside of it.

He shook his head, trying to clear his mind, burying himself in the numbers again.

There was a flash of a mind at the edge of his awareness, there and gone with a flash, leaving behind an odd sort of… Void.  Charles jerked, pushing his chair close to the window and peering out into the direction of the familiar feeling of being blocked. His stomach felt queasy as he alerted Hank and Alex to gather the remaining children, ready to take them to safety.

He didn’t know why Erik had come, but he recognised the hollowness the helmet left behind, and he was certain the flashing mind had been Azazeal, transporting Erik to Westchester.

It was hard to track Erik with the helmet, Charles depending on the faint wall his own thoughts met, as though walking in a dark room and navigating with your sound.

He thought he felt Erik stop by the edges of the grounds, so unmoving for minutes that Charles thought he’d lost him. Then, like a shock, Erik’s mind burst into his awareness, the suddenness of the helmet’s shield disappearing almost making Charles tumble out of his wheelchair.

_Hank,_ he sent out, tone urgent.

  _I see him,_ Hank thought,  _the cameras caught him just now. Can’t he sense them?_

Charles frowned.  _He took off his helmet. I think… Perhaps he’s not a danger?_

Hank’s mental snort was effective in carrying his derision.  _A social call then? Do you suppose he has a New Year’s basket for us?_

_That’s enough, Hank_ , Charles sent firmly, irritation creeping along the edges of his voice. He stretched out his mind again, searching for Erik and finding him easily, like a familiar beacon.

He pushed against Erik’s mind, unkind and unsubtle. He felt Erik flinch, and then force his mind to settle.

_…Charles?_ , Erik sent him, along with a clear view of his intentions.

Charles reeled his mind back, feeling like he had been punched to the gut.

_Hank,_ he said urgently. _You’re safe, but make sure everyone stays in their rooms. You included. I need downstairs empty._

 

Charles waited in the kitchen, sitting quietly by the empty table. He felt Erik approach the house, brisk steps that did nothing to hide his nerves. Charles had almost sent him away, the thought _you’re not allowed here, I offered you this and you threw it away_ rising from the bitter place in his head. He almost looked into Erik’s head to see what he wanted, but there had been a weak shield there, one that tasted of desperation, asking Charles to stay back.

Despite the petty part of him that wanted to rip into Erik’s head and reveal every secret, every injury, Charles controlled himself. He’d learnt a lot when Raven left, about other people and privacy.

And in the end, perhaps seeing Erik squirm to say what he wanted to say would be worth it. The man had always been horrible with words, and the anxiety pouring off of him the closer he came, Charles could tell he had been preparing himself for this.

 

It took Erik less than a handwave to get through most of the security Hank had set up. The rest Charles had asked him to disable, though he supposed it could’ve been a good opportunity to test them now.

He waited, projecting a false calmness, as Erik entered the house, trailing almost hesitantly into the kitchen.

 

It hurt to see him so suddenly, and without the helmet for the first time. He was carrying it, setting it awkwardly on the table. The last time they’d met, Charles hadn’t needed the helmet to sense the shock when Erik realised Charles was sitting in a wheelchair. It had been oddly comforting to see Erik falter then, lose his bearings over Charles.

Charles touched against Erik’s mind again, startled by the ache he felt, nostalgia and yearning and regret. He jerked himself back, closing himself to Erik.

“Why did you come,” Charles asked, holding Erik’s gaze steadily.

Erik swallowed, his face set in a frown. He sat down stiffly, dragging his chair closer to Charles.

“I didn’t want things to end up like this,” Erik said, voice rough. “I meant it, what I said in Cuba, after Shaw… I want you by my side.”

Charles drew a sharp breath, anger sparking in his gut. Erik spoke before he could open his mouth though.

“You said we don’t want the same things.” He touched the helmet thoughtfully, nudging it on the table.

“What if…” he hesitated, casting a beseeching look at Charles. “What if I’ve come to realise that that’s no longer true.”

Charles barked out a humourless laugh. “You… after all you did, now you come back and expect absolution?” He shook his head in disbelief, not bothering to shield away his distrust.

Erik flinched, and had the decency to look ashamed.

“There are things we learn the hard way,” he said, staring at his hands. “Things we’re sometimes… blind to.”

“And what were you blind to,” Charles asked, throat tight.

Erik looked up at him, a desperate look in his eyes.

“Can’t you take it out of me? I can’t… there aren’t words…” He trailed off, shoulders hunched, looking so unlike the man Charles had memorised him as.

Part of Charles wanted to make him voice it out loud. Find a way, he wanted to say. But something in Erik’s eyes made him soften, touching his fingers to his temple as he spread himself out, Erik’s mind wrapping around him like home-coming. Charles pushed, not sure what he would find, uncertain if it would be enough, but needing to know.

He felt Erik unfurl for him, his mind familiar despite their time apart. It was so easy, finding the places Erik had reserved for him long ago. He found them still fresh, a little raw, but with a new polish, like Erik had been spending a lot of time reliving those memories. There was new love there too, memories of Erik thinking of Charles and their time together, and the decisions he’d made, and that Raven – Mystique had made out of her own love.

Erik’s memories held a truth in them, the kind that Charles could see himself learning to trust. He pulled himself from Erik’s mind and breathed heavily, heart hammering in his chest.

“Perhaps,” Charles said, reaching to touch Erik’s hands. “We could try… Side by side, yes?”

Erik made a broken sound, curling his fingers around Charles’s.

“Side by side,” he said, a slight smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

 


End file.
